Combined planter and cultivating implement.



r No. 804,582. 'PATENTBD Nov'. 14, 1905..

J. W. GLIPToN. K COMBINED PLANTBR AND GULTIVATING IMPLBMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21,l 1905.

Witnesse Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT crine.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905..

Application filed June 21, 1905. Serial No. 266,314.

To a/ZZ whom, t puny concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. CLIFTON, a citi- VZen of the United States,residing at Junction city, in the county oi' Union and State ofArkansas, have invented' a new and useful Combined Planter andCultivating Implement, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to combined implements for planting seed andJfertilizing material and for cultivating the ground; and it has for itsobject to simplify and improve the construction and operation of thisclass ot devices.

Vith these and other ends in view, which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in theimproved construction of a frame with which various earth engaging orcultivating implements may be connected for operation, said frame beingalso adapted to support a seed box or hopper and operating means fordischarging the seed or other material from said hopper. y

The invention further consists in approved means for connecting theseedboX flexibly with the frame and for lregulating the tension of aspring whereby the earth-engaging wheel from which motion is derived foroperating the driven parts of the device is held in groundengagingposition. l

The invention further consists in the improved construction and novelarrangement and combination of parts, which will be herev inafter fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferredform of the invention, it being, however, understood that nolimitation'is necessarily made to the precise structural details thereinexhibited, but that the right is reserved to any changes, al-

terations, and modifications to which recourse` may be had within thescope of the invention and without departing from the spirit orsacriicing the eiiiciency of the same.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved devicecomplete, parts having been broken away for the purpose of exposing thesubjacent construction. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section.Fig. 3

is a perspective view showing the frame of the device, the seed boX orhopper and related parts having been removed. Fig. 4 is a detail sideview of a portion of the hopper, the

spacing-bar being shown in section and the near side of the frame heiligbroken away.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout bysimilar characters of reference.

The frame of the improved device consists of a pair of side members 1'1, having parallel front portions 2 2, which are bolted or otherwisesecured upon opposite sides of a spacing member 3, provided at its frontand rear ends with upstanding bars or brackets 4 and 5, each having aplurality oi' transverse perforations 6 and 7. The perforations 6 of thebar 4 are for the attachment of the draft, which may thusbe raised orlowered, according to the conditions under which the device is used.

The side members 'l 1 of the frame diverge rearwardly and are spacedapart at their rear ends by means of a bolt member 8, havingspacing-sleeves 9 and 10, the latter being provided with set-screws 11,whereby they may be secured in various positions upon the bolt member 8.The rear ends of the frame members l 1 may thus be spaced and retainedat various distances apart, as will be readily understood.

The side members 1 l are provided at their upper edges with notches 12for the reception of clips 13, the arms or ends of which are connectedby means of clipplates 14, tightening-nuts 15 being employed to securethe parts in related position. These clips are for the purpose ofattaching the earth-engaging members, whiclimay consist of plainharrow-teeth, as 16, cultivator-teeth 17, having shanks 18, spreaders orturning-plows 1.9, having shanks 20, or said earth-engaging implementsmay be of any desired construction and they may be interchanged at will,so as to subserve the purposes for which the device is at the time beingemployed.

A seed boX or hopper 21 is provided upon the sides thereofwith eyes orstaples, as 22', extending below the bottom of said hopper and servingto pivotally connect the same with the bolt member 8, upon which saidbox or hopper is pivotally mounted. The front side of the boX or hopperis provided with a pair of plates 22, spaced apart and provided at theirupper ends with eyes 23 for the reception of a cross-bar 24, having anintermediately-disposed eye or crank 25, serving for the attachment ofone end of a spring 26, the

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other end of which is adjustably connected with one of the perforations7 in the bracket member 5. The lower ends of the plates 22 vare providedwith forwardly-extending bracket members 27, aording bearings for ashaft or axle 28, carrying an earth-engaging wheel 29, which has beenrepresented as being composed of two concavo convex disks SO, of sheetmetal, connected along their edges so as to present a relatively-sharpedge for engagement with the soil. The shaft or axle 28 is provided atone end with a crank 3l, connected by a pitman 32 with a crank 33 upon ashaft 34, extending transversely through the side walls of the seed boxor hopper and provided within the latter with agitators 35, which, wheni the shaft 34 is rocked or-oscillated, will serve to gradually expelthe contents of the box through a slot or opening 36 in the bottom ofthe latter, said slot or opening being capable of regulation as to thewidth thereof by means of a regulating-slide 37.

Pivotally mounted upon the rod or boltr member 8 are Shanks 38, carryinga coverer, as 39, or covering members of any suitable description. Afurrow-opener 40 has been shown as carried by a clip member 41, which isclamped upon the parallel forward ends of the side members of the frameand the interposed spacing member 3.

Handles 42 have been shown in Figs. l and 2 as attached to the sides ofthe seed box or hopper. When the latter is discarded, as in Fig. 3, thehandles may be connected directly with the bolt or rod 8 and may besecured upon the latter by means of the sleeves l0, having theset-screws l1.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawingshereto annexed, the operation and advantages ofthis invention will bereadily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains.When the device is to be used for dropping or distributing seed orfertilizing material, the seedbox and its related parts are connectedwith the frame, upon the side members of which barrow-teeth or otherearth-engaging implements of any desired character may be mounted inoperative position. As the machine progresses over the ground the soilwill be stirred and cultivated, a furrow will be opened, and the wheel29, traveling in said furrow, will be rotated, thus communicating to theshaft 34C an oscillatory movement,where by the contents of the box orhopper will be distributed through the slot and caused to drop into thefurrow, where it is subsequently covered by the means employed for thispurpose. By detaching the board coverer 39, covering members of anydescription may be substituted. The tension of the spring 26 will beexerted to hold the wheel 29 in frictional engagement with the soil, andthe tension may be regulated by proper adjustment of the forward end ofthe springin one of the perforations 7. When the hopper and the partsdirectly related thereto are removed from the frame, the handles may bedirectly connected with the bolt or bar 8, and thedevice may thus beconverted into a cultivator or harrow by supplying earth-engagingimplements of the desired and appropriate construction.

This device, as will be seen,` is simple in construction and easilymanipulated, and it may be profitably applied to a variety of uses.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed isl. A framecomprising side members diverging rearwardly and having parallel frontportions, and a spacing member interposed between said parallel frontportions and having upwardly-extending arms, and means for connectingsaid parallel front portions and spacing member, including animplement-carrying clip.

2. A frame having sidemembers diverging rearwardly and lprovided withparallel front portions, a spacing member interposed and secured betweensaid front portions and having upwardly-extendingtransversely-perforated arms, a rod or bolt connecting and spacing therear ends of the frame members, adjustingsleeves upon said rod, ahoppersupported pivotally upon said rod and having forwardlyextendingbrackets, an earth-engaging wheel supported upon a shaft journaled insaid brackets, and a spring connecting the front of the hopper with aperforation in the rear upstanding arm of the spacing member at thefront end of the frame.

3. Aframe having rearward-diverging side members, a rod spacing andconnecting the rear ends of said side members, adjustingsleeves on saidrod, a hopper supported pivotally upon said rod and'havingforwardly-extending brackets,and an earth-engaging wheel supported bysaid brackets.

4. A frame having rearwardly-diverging side members, a rod spacing andconnecting the rear ends of said side members, a hopper connectedpivotally with said rod and having forwardly-extending brackets, anearth-engaging wheel supported by said brackets, and adjustable springmeans serving to depress the front end of the hopper and to'hold thewheel in earth-engaging position.

5. Aframe having rearwardly-diverging IOO IIO

side members, a rod spacing and connecting In testimony that I claim theforegoing as my own I have hereto afxed my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JOHN W. CLIFTON. Witnesses:

Gr. H. DISMUKE, H. E. VVATsoN.

